The healthiest-tastiest breakfast: Quinoa, Oat bran, Berries

I was looking for a variation in my standard morning meal – essentially based on porridge and honey – with the aim to make my breakfast healthier and complete.

I recently experimented a morning meal as a alternative to the heavy english breakfast with no compromise at all on taste. With this recipe I can happily give up on croissant (always too buttery), cereals (sugary and heavily processed) and eggs (fried).

Combining amazing ingredients such as quinoa, oat bran and berries I prepared a cocktail of highly beneficial nutrients providing fresh flavour, vitamins, minerals and fibers. The following gallery can help you go through my recipe, which is already very easy.

If these mouthwatering images are not convincing enough, I bet the following info about the ingredients will have a positive impact on you. Oat bran is the outer shell that covers the grain. It is extremely rich in fibers (20%), essentially soluble fiber and pectin.

What is oat bran good for?

Oat bran is a food able to dampen appetite. Because of its soluble fibers it can absorb plenty of water, from 20 to 40 times its weight. It forms a gel that covers the walls of the stomach, causing a feeling of satiation. Such a gel also limits the absorption of fats and sugars.

Quinoa can be used as a cereal altough it is not a real cereal (it is gluten-free!). It provides you with proteins (13%), carbohydrates (60.1%), fat (6.7%), dietary fiber (8.6%). It contains minerals such as magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. And vitamins such as vitamins B, C and E, the latter being very important for its antioxidant properties.

What is quinoa good for?

Thanks to its high content of fibers and polyunsaturated fatty acids, regular consumption of quinoa can help to control the levels of cholesterol, with heart and circulation health benefits. If the healthy properties of these super ingredients did not convince you yet, then just try their taste. If you love to experience healthy and different food, I’m sure the “taste test” will not disappoint you.

Directions

Boil milk together with quinoa in a saucepan. Simmer, covered, until three-quarters of the milk has been absorbed. This takes about 15 minutes.

When almost all the milk has been absorbed, add oat bran and stir for a couple of minutes.

Serve with honey, cinnamon, and blueberries. Alternatively, top it off with some walnuts and sesame seeds.

The alternative version, topped with blueberries, walnuts and sesame seeds